Naschycast #66 - SHADOWS OF BLOOD (1988)

Years ago I decided that, because I did not want to watch SHADOWS OF BLOOD (1988), we would not cover it on the Naschycast. I could simply see no upside to wallowing in what we knew was commonly considered the star’s worst film. I suspected that it would be a painful and depressing experience so I opted to avoid it and instead seek out less reviled fodder for the show. But then a friend pointed Troy and I toward a humorous Australian podcast called Finding Desperado. In that show the hosts conduct a hunt for a lost film that eventually finds them bemusedly watching SOB as part of their research. After listening to the eight hilarious episodes of this podcast I realized that these two funny men with their puzzled confusion had pointed the way toward covering this movie. So, we decided to finally dive into what I’ll forever refer to as Naschy’s Nadir.

We dig into the genesis of this film starting with some details about the low point that Paul Naschy's career had reached by the mid-1980’s. We doubt that he would have participated in this shot on video ‘production’ if he'd had anything better as an alternative but chance often leads the dance in movie making. We discuss Lord Sidney Ling who is the writer/director responsible for this film including his bizarre history as a fabulist of the highest order. Finding Desperado relates much more detail about this strange man and his self-aggrandizing nature but we concentrate on what might have influenced the poorly thought out ‘story’ he concocted for SHADOWS OF BLOOD. We trudge through the film trying to understand what might have been intended, occasionally getting lost in the dull sameness of the events onscreen. The sloppy narrative follows two escaped lunatics as they walk (and walk) around Amsterdam murdering random people in a competition to see who can kill the most victims. It is a mostly embarrassing exercise in senseless tedium that, even with its short running time, will test the most devoted Naschy fan. I’m just glad we finally have this one behind us!

We have a couple of emails at the end of the show including an amazing tale from listener Kurt that reads like a possible future noir film. His brief life story is well worth knowing. If you want to add your story to the podcast naschycast@gmail.com is the address where we can be reached. Let us know what’s on your mind! And thanks for listening to the show.

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Naschycast #61 - LOS PASAJEROS (1975)

After nearly ten years of covering Paul Naschy films it is no secret that we have reached the final few movies that are available for us to see. Sure, we’ve stayed away from some later efforts with very small roles for our hero that might be worthy of attention. But, of the movies made during his most productive years, there are not many left to dig into and most of those were never released in the United States or, in some cases, outside of Spain. Luckily, the fan-subbing community once again comes to the rescue allowing us to finally check another rare one off our Naschy bucket list. The film’s cast also includes the excellent Aurora Bautista in a significant role as well as Eva León and Loreta Tovar so there are some familiar faces for Spanish Horror fans.

LOS PASAJEROS (1975) is a hard to find film for many reasons. It seems to have been barely released even in Spain and to have been the first of only two feature films directed by José Antonio Barrero. Mr. Barrero contributed the screen story for this effort as well so it seems logical to attribute the film’s quirks to his sensibilities. He appears to have been aiming this movie at the arthouse crowd couching his (supposedly) big statements in arch symbolic actions that often leave viewers scratching their heads. It may be that a Spanish filmgoer in the mid-1970’s would have been able to puzzle out the meaning of what happens onscreen but we might never know. Still, there are points of interest for the hardcore Naschy fan since Mr. Molina has a substantial role as the rich patron presiding over a house filled with subservient people. Naschy commands these visitors to his isolated home to act out scenes from plays while he watches. It’s all pretty weird!

At the end of the show we reply to a pair of recent emails to the podcast. If you have comments or questions the address is naschycast@gmail.com where we’ll be glad to hear from you. If you don’t want us to use your full name on the show let us know. Thank you for listening to this episode and we’ll be back soon with another Beyond Naschy show!

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Naschycast #60 - THE UNLIVING (2004)

Sharp-eyed or eared (?) listeners to the Naschycast will recognize THE UNLIVING as an alternate title for a film we've already covered on the show. Troy and I took a look at this Fred Olen Ray joint a few years ago under it's more evocative name TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF and you can still check out episode #30 for our original assessment. This time out we revisit this problematic entry on Paul Naschy's credits at the request of our new guest - David Zuzelo! David is an old friend from the early days of Euro-Trash horror online fandom and someone I should have included in the show much sooner than now. He's a horror comic writer and expert on the trashier side of cinema making him the perfect man to talk about this uncut sex-filled werewolf romp.

The three of us spend a lot of time on this film discussing it's flaws, it's points of interest and David brings some fascinating behind the scenes information to the table. Of course, as you might expect with Euro-Horror fans, we also branch off onto related subjects with a lengthy musing on Jess Franco and the more obscure films of Amando De Ossorio. David and I reminisce a bit about our first podcast experience together on Horror Rise From Spain and his upcoming work in horror comics. Troy and I wrap the show with a brief email from Our Man In The Field before we let you go.He sent along a link to a Powerwolf song that explains one of our questions about the burning crosses in THE GHOST GALLEON. 

 PowerWolf! 

If you have any comments or questions the address is naschycast@gmail.com or you can join us on the Facebook page. Thanks for downloading and listening!

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Naschycast #55 - MUCHA SANGRE (2002)

2016 brings us back to the much feared (by Troy and I, anyway) genre of Spanish comedy. Followers of this podcast will know that we've had little to no luck with our exploration of the various comedy/horror movies Naschy made over the years and MUCHA SANGRE features examples of each reason why we struggle to understand and enjoy them. That's not to say that we didn't have fun with the film but, as we discuss, we don't have the cultural references to get some jokes and often that kind of context matters. Truly, with any comedy your mileage will vary and with one like this that fancies itself a kind of Rock 'n' Roll movie warnings are appropriate for newbies. Luckily we have a friend in Madrid to help us out with some questions about the movie's odder moments! Yes, Elena of Horror Rises From Spain and Spanishfear.com comes to our rescue yet again! It's always good to get a lady's perspective on Naschy. Oh, and we spoil the hell out of the film's story, so be aware! Sorry.

Of course, we also touch on a few other subjects as the show progresses including our recently seen films, a brief discussion of 50's sci-fi movies, Kurt Russell westerns and the current spate of depressing celebrity deaths that have hit both of us so hard. Also in this show we announce some news about the podcast's future that will be of interest to fans and lay out the next few months schedule of films to be covered for those who wish to play along. Long story short- expect more Toho film talk over on the Bloody Pit podcast and the return of Amando de Ossorio here!

The mailbag section allows us to catch up on our correspondence, answer a few questions and, as you will hear, take a few suggestions for shows down the road. I can't wait to one day podcast about the films of Bruno Mattei! We can be reached at naschycast@gmail.com with any an all comments and we thank you for downloading the show. Please let us know what you think and what movies you'd like us to cover in the new year. 

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Beyond Naschy #15 - PIECES (1982)

You don't need to go to Texas to have a chainsaw massacre! Finally bowing to listener pressure Troy and I are covering our first Juan Piquer Simón movie. To say that PIECES (1982) is a unique film is to undersell its many odd qualities and the strange pleasures that can be derived from this incredible horror effort. Simón is infamous for directing several terrible movies in the 1980's that are usually hidden behind his Anglicized pseudonym J. P. Simon. Besides this film he is responsible for the movie at the heart of the classic Mystery Science Theater 3000 episode 'Pod People' as well as SLUGS (1988).  Simon's films often got distribution outside of Spain because of his insistence on filming in English knowing that America was the biggest market for genre pictures - don't ever sell the man short when it comes to business!

Simon's original title for his script was 'Mil gritos tiene la noche' which translates to 'A Thousand Screams in the Night' and while that might be an interesting name for this tale, PIECES truly sums it up perfectly. Pulling inspiration (to be generous) from several different sources (The Shadow, Texas Chainsaw Massacre, Psycho, anything that might occur on set, etc.)  the movie might not be very original but it is also never boring. I have a personal affinity for PIECES that stems from having seen it on the big screen in its American theatrical run in 1983. We touch on this tale of teenaged movie going and how it might have been the beginnings of my adult fascination with Euro-Trash cinema as well as Troy's earliest impressions of this gore drenched classic. We have a great time discussing this crazed film and I get so excited I spend several minutes referring to Lynda Day George as Susan George! Jeeze! Luckily Troy notices and steers me back to the correct name and then we publically embarrass the poor actress by playing her most cringe inducing line from this film. We can be bastards! Bastards. Bastards.

The mailbag is light this month but we do have some interesting comments from a listener who has gone and created his own podcast - Fandom Radio Podcast! Go check it out! I also relate the discovery that the novel on which ROTTWEILER (2004) was based was actually filmed once before in 1979 with EXORCIST star Jason Miller in the lead role. I now need to watch this version and report back to compare and contrast.

You can reach us over on the Naschycast Facebook page or email us your thoughts at naschycast@gmail.com if you so desire. We'll be back next month with a very obscure Naschy film from the 1970's. Thanks for downloading and listening. 

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NaschyCast #53 - ROTTWEILER (2004)

Episode 53 puts us back in 2004 to discuss a film that features Naschy in a small but impressive role as - wait for it - the bad guy! ROTTWEILER is an English language film made in Spain by American director Brian Yuzna during his short lived Fantastic Factory production company's existence. We start the conversation talking about the various film directed by Yuzna and segue into the other movies made by Fantastic Factory. There are some good films and some bad films on that list!

ROTTWEILER was based on a novel by Spanish author Alberto Vázquez Figueroa who also wrote the script. In cases like this I love to read the source work but I haven't been able to locate an English translation anywhere so if anyone out there has any information on such a thing please let me know at naschycast@gmail.com. I'm very curious about the novel's structure in comparison to the film and how close the story stays to the details of the book. 

As usual Troy and I stray from our assigned path a few times to talk about other (possibly) related subjects but we keep mostly on target - I promise. The mailbag segment has some fun food for thought as we learn about a fellow Naschy fan that we somehow missed crossing paths with during our days living in Murfreesboro, TN in the 1990s. Strange! And Dan returns with his segment this time out to talk about Rottweiler and another horror host. Thanks for listening and please consider donating to the show or rating and reviewing us in the iTunes store.

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NaschyCast #43 - EMPUSA (2010)

In this episode we venture once again into the twenty first century to witness Paul Naschy's final directorial effort - EMPUSA. Unlike his earlier work this is a film we know little about with next to nothing being stated by our hero before his untimely passing. We do know that this project started as a final collaboration with director Carlos Aured (HORROR RISES FROM THE TOMB, CURSE OF THE DEVIL) but it appears Naschy completed the film when his friend's health wouldn't allow him to work.  From what we can learn, the bulk of the movie was shot in 2007 or 2008 but it went unreleased until 2010.  There might be a good reason for that! We suspect that additional footage was shot after the fact and damn- do the seams show. It is pretty great to see Naschy teamed with old buddy Antonio Mayans, though. 

Join Troy and I as we chop this horror/comedy (or is it a comedy?) down to size and attempt to understand just what the hell is going on. I think you'll be able to hear the pain! As usual, the conversation darts all over the place with zombie novels getting some love from me but things really go off track in the mailbag section. Questions are asked and answered with some great thoughts and ideas coming from our loyal listeners. If you have any questions or comments you can drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or join us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page on the book of faces. Oh- and feel free to donate to the podcast if you think the show is worth a few shekels by using the Donation Button on the left side of the NaschyCast Blog page. Thanks to Mike for reminding us that its there! 

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NaschyCast #36 - A WEREWOLF IN THE AMAZON (2005)

With this film Paul Naschy added H. G. Wells' classic character Dr. Moreau to his list of onscreen portrayals and he does a fine job. The movie is from 2005 and was made in Brazil so both Spanish and Portuguese languages are spoken which only adds confusion for someone just trying to read the subtitles! I'm not going to lie- A WEREWOLF IN THE AMAZON is an odd one folks- even for us. Among other strange things this film sports a pretty good werewolf; multiple gory corpses; naked lesbians; naked Amazons; age inappropriate sexual encounters; broad humor; confusing back stories; contradictory character motivations; a bizarre musical number; death by sex; ridiculous sets and a mercifully short running time. Sadly, only those with access to the 'Special Antenna'  will be able to check out this late career entry in Naschy's resume but the curious will always seek these things out.

Troy and I want to thank our Man In the Field for help with this episode as well as Mistress Elena of the fine podcast Horror Rises From Spain for her invaluable help in answering several questions we posed in our show on THE SNIPER. Sometimes the things you learn about Spanish culture can really open your eyes! And a big shout out to Jeff Nelson for his amazing artwork for this episode as well. He really out did himself this time. Wow!

Your humble hosts prattle on about comic books, music and a host of other topics as well as the film we're supposed to be discussing. You have been warned! We get off topic early and often. Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com or come see us over on the NaschyCast Facebook page. And if you get the show through iTunes (and I know you do) please consider leaving us a written review over there. That would help us out a lot.

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NaschyCast #30 - TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF (2004)

You got your werewolf in my soft-core pornography! No- you got your soft-core pornography in my werewolf! Or something like that. Episode 30 takes us to the Hollywood Hills where we encounter lots of hot naked women, lesbian sex, a Daninsky descendant, a fantastic painting and a pretty bad film. The 21st century was not a good period for low budget werewolf movies and this ‘final’ Waldemar Daninsky film is no exception. Shot in English TOMB OF THE WEREWOLF is one of our few chances to hear Paul Naschy’s actual voice in a film but, as he speaks less than a dozen words total, this is a bittersweet delight. Indeed, Naschy’s role in this production is little more than a glorified cameo so the joys for fans are slim. That being said Naschy is still the best/only reason to see this sucker and he does a fine job with the little screen time he is afforded.

We struggle through this short but painful direct-to-video time filler while trying to maintain our good humor. I’m not sure we succeeded as I can remember a few tears on my show notes but hopefully the podcast is helpful to the Naschy loving masses. If you have the strength and desire you can join us as we work our way through TOTW and try to keep our sanity intact. As usual the discussion veers from subject to subject with a brief look at the various porn titles in the cast’s background; share some info about the location where the film was shot; point out the ever-present sound of crickets on the soundtrack; and wonder what Naschy made of the film before and after it was made.

Please drop us a line at naschycast@gmail.com anD join us on the Facebook page. As always the show is available through the link below or from iTunes and can be streamed from Stitcher Radio.

NaschyCast #30

NaschyCast #13 - FURY OF THE WOLFMAN (1970)

Rarely have we been as confused, flabbergasted and frustrated as we were by FURY OF THE WOLFMAN even though we went into this one with our eyes wide open, knowing full well that Naschy himself hated the film and decried what was done to his script. We weren’t completely surprised but it is still a kick in the head to watch the film ramble itself apart. Trying to figure out what might have been intended is kind of fascinating which probably explains why we babbled for over two hours about what has to be labeled the weakest of the Waldemar Daninksy films.

We attempt to understand what the hell is happening as ideas are brought up and dropped, characters slip in and out of the film randomly and crypt orgies are popped indiscriminately throughout the second half. Plant monsters, werewolf sex, Nazi scientists and the question of crazy love possibly being ‘true love’ are all topics that we discuss as we navigate this muddled misadventure.

You'll hear the film start to take its toll on us near the end as our stated goal of mentioning the good things in the movie begins to wear us down. But there is a female werewolf! Strap in and join us if you dare! The email address is naschycast@gmail.com and we'd love to hear from you.

NaschyCast #13- LINK

NaschyCast #5 - CRIMSON (1976)

First a disclaimer: I regret that the audio on this episode is not as good as it could be. This podcast has been an ongoing learning lab for me in how to record the two of us with some form of sound quality. I finally got pretty happy with the way the show sounds with episode #4 but then, as we sat down to record this one I promptly forgot one simple lesson of microphone operation. Because of that Troy often sounds as if he’s in a pit or roughly a mile away from me. For this I apologize and you can rest assured the people responsible have been sacked. And I promise it won’t happen again. The good news is that Troy did a little audio tweaking to improve some of the worst spots so hopefully it won’t be too bad. Let us know if we suck. naschycast@gmail.com


For the fifth show we decided to step outside the horror genre and for our deviation from the norm we paid a heavy price. CRIMSON is not a good film. It is at best a passable time waster with a few points of interest for Euro-Trash enthusiasts and very little screen time for Naschy. A French-Spanish co-production it is mostly boring with long stretches of tedium broken up by moments of crap. Director Juan Fortuny didn’t step behind the camera for many movies in his career and it’s easy to see why. Luckily Troy and I find some joy at the edges of the screen as we marvel at some of the reoccurring actors working in Spanish cinema in the 1970s. You might actually enjoy us talking about CRIMSON more than you enjoy the film itself!

NaschyCast #5 LINK